Signs You Might Be Dating a Narcissist

These days the term ‘narcissist’ is used fairly loosely, especially given the impact that reality TV and social media has had on our culture. But if you find yourself in a relationship with a real narcissist, you’ll soon realise that narcissistic behaviour is a lot more damaging than just posting a lot of selfies on Instagram and wanting to be the centre of attention.

A diagnosis of Narcissistic Personality Disorder can only be determined in a proper clinical assessment, and it’s worth noting that people can have a lot of narcissistic traits without necessarily having a full blown personality disorder. At the end of the day, whether someone can be diagnosed clinically or not isn’t the most important thing. What’s usually more helpful is knowing the typical behaviour patterns that play out when you’re in a toxic relationship so that you can spot the signs early and save yourself a lot of emotional harm.

Below I've listed just a few of the typical behaviours you might expect if dating a typical 'grandiose' narcissist. If you don't recognise some of these signs, but you know something's not right in your relationship, it could be that you're dealing with a 'vulnerable' or covert narcissist.

1. Love Bombing

In the early stages of a relationship, the narcissist will typically sweep you off your feet with what's commonly referred to as "Love Bombing". This is also known as the idealisation phase where they put you on a pedestal, tell you you’re the most amazing, beautiful, special person they’ve ever met and that they want all the same things in life that you do.  It’s much like the honeymoon phase of a normal relationship but it will be intense and accelerated.

They typically listen to what you like and what you want from life, and astonishingly, they want all the same things. In this way, they convince you that you're their soulmate and this relationship was destined. They might talk about engagement and marriage very early and will convince you that they’ve waited their whole life for someone like you. The whole point of the love bombing is to get you completely and utterly enamoured by the narcissist’s charm; in other words, to get you on the hook and reeled right in.

2. Future Faking

“Future faking” is a term used to describe the narcissist’s tendency to promise you something you want in the future in order to get what they want in the present. It could be the engagement and the wedding that they dangle in front of you or it could be that you want to buy a house or take a special holiday or something else that’s important to you. They’ll talk about it, go to the open homes, pick up the travel brochures… but then they do absolutely nothing to turn that dream into a reality. In other words, they will lie to you in order to string you along.

You might want to watch my full video below or share it with someone you think might be in a relationship with a narcissist.

(Blog continues below video)

3. Devaluing

After a narcissist has successfully got you on the hook, they’ll fairly quickly begin showing their true colours. This often starts as soon as you've made a solid commitment to the relationship, for example after you move in together or get engaged.

The devaluing tactics might be subtle or they might be glaring. It might come in the form of backhanded compliments, a condescending tone, dismissing your point of view or being passive aggressive. It might be cruel, insulting, and hurtful comments, or belittling you and the things or people you care about (yes, all those things they loved in the idealisation phase).

The narcissist might be inconsiderate, not bothering to consult with you about plans or they may give you the silent treatment. If you get upset, they’ll devalue your feelings by telling you that you’re being overly sensitive or too emotional. (Note: the narcissist has no real capacity for empathy so your hurt feelings are an inconvenience to them).

4. Narcissistic Rage

The narcissist can blow up over the tiniest thing. You’ll be left with your head spinning wondering how such a small thing created such a huge explosion. If you push back against their hurtful behaviours or comments, they will likely take no responsibility, and instead make themselves the victim. Their distorted version of events is often a part of what's called 'gaslighting'; that is, when they are so convinced of their own reality, you begin to wonder if you're going mad.

One of the most significant character traits of a narcissist is that they can’t cope with criticism at all, so if you should you do or say anything the narcissist perceives as undermining their position, challenging their false idealised sense of importance, or threatening their ego, you will likely cause a narcissistic injury and this can result in a full blown temper tantrum. They might yell, belittle and insult you, stonewall you for days, or leave and not tell you where they're going.

*Note that if you stand your ground at this point and the narcissist is concerned you might leave the relationship, you might see a quick switch to the Future Faking mentioned above, where they attempt to win you back over by promising you all the things they know you want in the future.

5. They never apologise

Even with all their terrible behaviour, the narcissist typically will never apologise. In their opinion, every problem is really YOUR fault. Problems they bring upon themselves will be blamed on you. You can’t reason with them or bring your point of view to them in order to have a healthy adult discussion. There is no discussion with a narcissist; there is only the narcissist educating you on how things are.

So, are you dating a narcissist? Maybe, maybe not.

At the end of the day, the most important question to ask yourself is whether you feel truly valued and respected and safe in the relationship, or if you feeling like you’re constantly being pepper-sprayed with micro- and macro-aggressions.

Are you walking on eggshells or slowly losing confidence in yourself? Are you doubting yourself and wondering if it might really be your fault things are bad? Do you feel exhausted from ‘managing’ this relationship?

These are all signs you need to find the courage to leave, because it's unlikely things are ever going to improve.  When you wake up to the reality of being in a relationship with a person who has strong narcissistic traits (whether diagnosed or not), you're able to free yourself to find a more healthy, balanced partnership with someone who truly values what you have to offer.